Same as the other reviewer mentioned, the place is extremely busy. Nonetheless, both the host and our server had been very attentive. I guess they were working for long hours so I didn't expect to squeeze a smile out of them. I would rate the service for a 4, but they never mentioned about the "split charge" and automatically charged us for our shared plate. Moreover, the 17% gratuity charge was simply outrageous; no wonder this place had a shorter line-up compare to other places in the nearby location.

Food wise, they lean on the salty side. I've tried other Italian places and this was by far the one with the strongest taste.

Price wise, I feel I am over-paying a little for the 17% surcharge. Therefore I didn't leave any tips at all.

The restaurant environment itself is great, but next time when I am in; I will be using my Entertainment book.

My friend and I decided to come here for dinner tonight after walking past this place numerous times while shopping on Robson street and always wanted to try it out. We weren't expecting much, except for good service and good pasta. Both were a huge disappointment.

Service: When we walked in, the room was basically empty except for maybe 5 tables and this was at 6pm on a weekday. Still we had to wait about 3 minutes before being approached and seated. Normally I wouldn't have any problems with this, but not when the staff was just standing around chatting. Once seated our server came by with the menus. She didn't introduce herself and just proceeded with telling us the specials and abruptly left when she was done. She came by later asking if we wanted any drinks. We ordered our drinks. However, we were also ready to order our appetizers and entrees. My friend had to yell out our appetizer of choice to her because by the time i finish saying my drink she was already leaving the table. When ordering our entree, my friend didn't know how to pronounce one of the words so she said spaghetti and pointed to the one she wanted. She had to repeat herself a couple times because the server seemed disinterested. Instead of paying attention to us, she was looking out the window. Also, we would have liked more bread because we were both hungry, but was never asked if we wanted more, nor did we get a chance to because our plates were cleared before we had the opportunity. We paid with cash so we had to ask for change and when I did, my friend said she made a face at me. Let's just say I wasn't very pleased.

Food: Nothing to rave about. Food was a little bland. Portion size was decent, but overpriced for the taste value.

Overall, I would not come back here again. The service was a huge turnoff. For the price of what i'm paying for dinner I expect top service. I tried many restaurants around town in this value range and this was tops in terrible service. The food could have made up for it, but unfortunately, it didn't leave much to desire.

I was on menupalace.com and found they had a 25% off coupon for lunch or dinner and decided to have lunch with a few friends. Came here twice and both times the service was decent. I would have expected better service considering there are so many larger chain restaurants on Robson Street and the fact that this place is on the second floor may not appeal to many street-walkers.
Although service is lacking, the food is incredibly good!
Even without the 25% coupon, the prices are decent. Pastas range around $14-18 and they have smaller portions for all dishes at 11.50. We shared a salad, it was a decent size to share with 3 people.
Will return again to try out their dinner and dessert options.

Food: spaghetti al ragu was a bit on the salty side for me. i had the linguine w/ italian sausage a few weeks ago and i enjoyed that much better. fettucine con polo had a nice balance b/w texture, taste, and temperature. my b/f was impressed by his first bite.

Service: our server this time was very casual and aloof. she was nice but nothing spectacular. our server last time was fantastic! he was so attentive in making suggestions, offering us a dessert not even on the menu, coming by to check up on us, etc. it was night and day.

Value: fairly large portions. for a few dollars more i'd rather come here for pasta then have pasta at earls, cactus, or milestones.

Ambiance: very comfortable setting. enjoyed our window seats overlooking robson. by boyfriend liked the display of wines along the wall. date appropriate. on both recent visits they didnt rush us at all. we were able to have nice, long, intimate dinners.

Overall: def worth putting into the rotation. i wouldnt mind trying their non pasta entree dishes next time. if you've got your entertainment card, dont forget to bring it to save up to $19!!

I took my gf here for her bday recently.

Loved it. Better than Italian Kitchen by far.

The food was devine (we are big garlic fans), the serves were a great size for the price (wine list is overpriced and it cost them here). The pasta dishes are simply massive. if you can finish one you are an eating machine. Forget that place out in east van with the line up (you know the place), this is quality AND quantity.

Service was prompt and very friendly. they were happy to make small adjusments to the menu and supply oil and balsmic on request.

Will return.

I came here to accompany my gf's friend's birthday dinner. A somewhat last minute plan we split the Ribeye with Gorgonzola. The steak was grilled underdone to our request however most restaurants I've found tend to do the same. Still, an excellent cut with great char flavours and tenderness. Our side which looked like cubes of potatoes smothered in a gorgonzola sauce ended up being cubed polenta, lightly browned. An unusual and unexpected surprise. It was good, but it was heavy on the savoury scale. Portion size was above generous. A friend who also came alongside their gf liked their Spaghetti al Ragu with the simmered meat sauce with fresh herbs.

Service was good, without the reminders that I was dining on Robson St.

Warm, inviting space, fairly devoid of any instances of looking or feeling hip. Viable place for a date with the ambience and mood.

A good find for pasta on the strip.

Robson Street has a nice energy and buzz and on a warm evening with good food, it's a nice slice of life. Took my mother to Zefferelli's for her birthday at the recommendation of a coworker. Very nice ambiance, very decent food, and prompt service. My mother enjoyed the the food too. I'll be going back. Al dente the way it should be with their pasta dishes.

I would have thought that a place on Robson would be overpriced with small portions but that was not the case. The appies were well priced and good sized and the entrees were the same. It was very tasty as well, although I wouldn't say it is any different from any other Italian restaurant. None the less, I would still recomend this place as it doesn't follow the Robson trend

Zeffirelli's is nothing new but it isn't exactly behind the times either. Vancouver has been popping up a horde of box clone restaurants with paper cut hostesses and university student faux hawked waiters that can barely spell 'szechuan beef' let alone serve it.

This restaurant though has always had a mature staff and stable menu, you can go in, be seated and just sit down to eat. I read some other reviews arguing the price, did you look at CinCin's prices down the street? They are easily double and it isn't for the food quality.

Yes there are cheaper italian restaurants in the city but on Robson? Forget about it. You pay a premium for location and that translates into the price we pay for the food, nothing new there.

One thing that is new though is the menu which is long over due, we have been going there for years and the new update is both refined and enriched. The veal milanese is incredible!! You wouldnt expect to find a dish like this here but considering the restaurant is surrounded by CinCin and Fortes it is expected I suppose.

I think anyone who takes the time to sit down and review a restaurant is generally a little more critical than most and for all the faults that this restaurant has (not unlike most in our city) there are some shining gems both on the menu and amongst the staff.

My co-workers decided to meet up for dinner downtown (on Robson Street no less) and picked Zefferelli's for dinner. I hate going anywhere near Robson as it is so hard to finding parking. Needless to say, I was 20 minutes late due to the parking issue.

As my co-workers had over 20 minutes to mull over the menu, they already knew what to have. I scanned the menu and decided on the stuffed portobello mushrooms with cheese as an appetizer and the rib eye steak for dinner. My other 3 co-workers all decided on pasta.

Presentation was nice for both my dishes. Food was decent, but was not remarkable. My portobello mushrooms were nice (although the cheese was a bit strong ... what kind of cheese was it ?) ... and the rib eye steak tasted like a piece of unseasoned steak. The only flavor that I got was from the balsamic vinegar and oil dressing that they drizzled around the plate and the natural juices from the meat. I like my meat seasoned, so the steak wasn't anything remarkable either. My meal wasn't bad, but it wasn't anything that I would rave about to others.

Lack of parking would prohibit me from making dinner plans again at this restaurant. And even if I were on Robson, there are other restaurants that I would probably try out first.